Pandora's Box Spring 2019 I Edition

PB

Pandora’s Box

“Let the truth be told though the heavens may fall”

Serving York College of the City University of New York and the Surrounding Jamaica, Queens Community Spring Edition I: Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

yorkpbnews.net

Matos Rodriguez is Set to Become the First Latino CUNY Chancellor

Matos Rodriguez, an educator and pioneer, to become first Latino CUNY Chancellor.Photo credit: CUNY email

By Angel Adegbesan The Board of Trustees of The City University of New York appointed Félix Matos Rodríguez as the eighth Chancellor of CUNY. He is scheduled to assume the post on May 1.

Matos Rodríguez, 56, has been president of Queens College since August 2014. He will be the first Latino and minority educator to head the University. He is also one of the few U.S. educators who has served as president of both a baccalaureate and community college.

“In word and deed, Chancellor-designate Matos Rodríguez embodies CUNY’s mission-driven spirit,” said William Thompson Jr., Chair of the CUNY Board of Trustees and leader of the Chancellor Search Committee in a statement. “His deep roots in CUNY, combined with his rich experience as a scholar and as leader of both senior and community colleges, make him uniquely suited to lead the University forward, keeping it positioned as the standard-bearer for quality and access in public higher education.”

CUNY announced the decision following the recommendation of a 14-member search committee of CUNY trustees, college presidents, faculty, students and civic leaders led by Thompson.

The committee was assisted in its search by Isaacson Miller, an executive search firm.

“Over the course of our thorough search for a Chancellor, we came to consider several serious candidates among a stellar field of accomplished leaders, but we kept coming back to him,” Thompson added in a statement.

“His sterling credentials, his unparalleled depth of perspective and his demonstrated commitment to CUNY made him the inarguable standout and the obvious choice. It fills me with great pride to have been a part of this pivotal decision and to be able to

announce that the nation’s greatest urban university is making history with one of its own.”

Former Chancellor James Milliken stepped down in June, 2018.

Matos Rodríguez was formerly the president of CUNY’s Eugenio María de Hostos Community College, before his appointment at Queens College from 2009 to 2014.

“I cannot think of a more appropriate choice amongst educators for this important role at this time in CUNY history than Dr. Felix Matos Rodriguez,” Marcia V. Keizs, president of York College, wrote in a statement.

“During his time in CUNY, he has provided stellar leadership in two CUNY institutions and now he will bring that enormous depth of experience, of intellect, vision and tenacity, to the highest level in CUNY.” From 2000 to 2005, Matos Rodríguez was director of the Center for Puerto Rican Studies at Hunter College (El Centro), and he was also a tenured professor of Black and Puerto Rican/Latino Studies. He also previously taught at Northeastern University, Boston College and the Universidad Interamericana-Recinto Metropolitano, Puerto Rico.

Matos Rodríguez left CUNY for several years in 2005 and worked for a year as head adviser on Health and Social Welfare

to the governor of Puerto Rico.

In 2006, he was named Secretary of the Department of Family Services.

Matos Rodríguez holds a B.A. from Yale University, where he was a cum laude graduate, and a doctorate in history from Columbia University.

“This would be an extraordinary opportunity for anyone who is passionate about the role CUNY plays in the lifeblood of the world’s greatest and most important city,” said Matos Rodríguez in a statement. “For me, this appointment is particularly special because CUNY is home.

I will strive every day that I am Chancellor to fulfill the promise of our noble mission to afford academic excellence and economic opportunity to all. And I will endeavor to elevate to new heights CUNY’s legacy as the paradigm of a people’s University” According to a 2014 New York Times article, former chancellor Milliken received annual compensation totalling $670,000, not including the use of a car and residence. None of the information released by CUNY mentioned the incoming chancellor’s compensation package.

Angel Adegbesan is the News Editor. She can be reached at angel.adegbesan@yorkmail. cuny.edu

York Extends Financial Aid to Help Families Affected by Gov’t Shutdown

Academic Core Building.

By Rachel Dalloo York College is offering to support any student and families in need who were deeply affected by the federal government shutdown. The college emailed a

INDEX NEWS: .................... ...1-5 GALLERY:...................8-9 A&E: .........................6-11 OPINION: ...............12-14 SPORTS .................15-16 For More News:

yorkpbnews.net

Photo credit: Greis Torres.

campus-wide notice on Jan. 4 to students for the chance to apply for the Carroll and Milton Petrie Foundation Student Emergency Fund.

The Petrie Emergency Fund is available for more than 1.5 million students who are currently

NEWS

attending public schools located in New York City. The fund is in place to promote good education as well as providing “quick response” grants to students with a good academic background, who are experiencing short-term financial problems. Any students

3 A&E

Pioneer History Class

Elena Borstein

facing a current emergency may apply for the grant.

York College has been processing the Petrie Fund for students for the past ten years. About 800 students have received grants from the this fund, according to Jonathan Quash, the principal investigator for the Fund for the Office of Student Development.

The maximum award amount a student can receive is $2,000.

Once the award is sent out to students who are in serious need for it, the fund does not need to be repaid. However, students can only apply for the grant once in their entire college career.

Applications are available on the York website or through the Office of Student development.

Applications should be sent to either room AC-2F01 or room AC-3M02. An application is not a guarantee that the grant will be awarded.

Applicants are advised to wait up to 72 hours for verification from Quash after submitting their application. Students receive

6 OP-ED

Chris Brown

the funding through checks.

The Petrie Fund supports living expenses only. It does not cover for college debts, fees, and legal representation.

The Federal Government shut down for 35 days from Dec. 2018 to Jan. 2019, and affected over 800,000 workers across the country. The government was temporarily funded to re-open through Feb. 15 in order to give lawmakers a chance to reach an agreement on the proposed border safety budget.

On Feb. 15 President Donald Trump signed a budget bill that averted another shutdown, but sparked a major controversy by declaring a national emergency because the bill did not include the funds he demanded to construct a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.

Rachel Dalloo is the Assistant News Editor. She can be reached at rachel.dalloo@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

13 SPORTS

15

Male Cheerleaders

NEWS PB

2

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

yorkpbnews.net

York Hopes to Get an “A Plus” Grade in the Upcoming Middle States Visit

By Angel Adegbesan York College officials are expecting to have the college removed from the warning list of Middle States Commission of Higher Education (MSCHE) regarding its accreditation status, when representatives from the organization visit the campus in March.

York gets accredited every 10 years. The last MSCHE accreditation visit at York was in 2018. York’s accreditation was reaffirmed for 10 years in 2008.

In preparation for the 2018 visit, the College community prepared a self-study report responding to the seven accreditation standards established by the MSCHE. The visiting committee that came last March reported their findings about the college to the MSCHE. York was found to have met six out of the seven standards and did not meet the eighth and tenth affiliation requirements.

The college was then required “to provide evidence of consistent and meaningful assessment of academic program and general education through multiple cycles of a systematic and sustained process that informs improvement in educational effectiveness.”

The visiting committee reported their findings to the MSCHE and the college was placed on a warning list in June,

2018. The college was also given two years to meet the standards and affiliation requirements to get off the warning list.

York continues to be accredited while on the warning list, which is a temporary status to provide the opportunity to implement activities for the assessment of student learning outcomes at the program and institutional levels.

“We are far from losing an accreditation because if we put it in the context of grades, we didn’t get an A plus, we got an A minus,” said Provost Panayiotis Meleties. “So we are still accredited but it’s just that they had some questions. It wasn’t clear in the report how we were approaching certain things and they put us on the warning list and gave us two years to demonstrate to their satisfaction that we are doing what they expect us to do.”

After the MSCHE decision in June, the York community formed three committees to meet the fifth standard assessment and the requirements of the eighth and tenth affiliations. These committees are the General Education Assessment Committee, the Academic Assessment Committee, and the Administrative Educational Student Support Assessment Committees.

These committees were to report on assessment activities taking place at York, design and

Photo Courtesy: The Middle States Commission on Higher Education website.

implement an annual and a fiveyear assessment plans for each department and unit. Each committee generated a report that was submitted to the Monitoring Report Committee and became part of a monitoring report that will be submitted to MSCHE by March 1, 2019.

At the 2019 annual Spring Symposium, the three committees presented their reports and findings to the college community. Meleties said the version presented at the Symposium was the ninth version of the report.

York faculty members were asked to read the report and give their feedback.

The Federal Government requires that all colleges receiving federal funding be accredited.

The Federal Department of Education delegates the accreditation authority to seven regional higher

education accreditation commissions. MSCHE is one of them. This accreditation process through the monitoring of MSCHE, aims to continuously assess the college’s operations for continuous improvement of student learning outcomes and success, according to the MSCHE website.

The Middle States visiting team will be back at York from March 19 to March 20.

According to Provost Meleties, the accreditation enables the college to enjoy certain privileges like applying for federal grants. It also enables the college to prepare students with accredited degree programs that are recognized by other institutions and professional organizations.

“If a college loses its accreditation, then it’s basically closing down because the fact that the college has accreditation, it allows

CUNY Admins Spend Over 200k on Legal Fees

Marcia Keizs says she is cooperating with CUNY probe.

By Danielle Cruz CUNY presidents and administrators have spent over $200,000 on legal fees as the New York State Inspector General continues her investigation into CUNY’s management and financial policies, according to the New York Post in mid-January.

A Jan. 27 New York Post article reported that, “...17 presidents and administrators spent $209,663 on lawyers of their choosing,” to help them answer questions related to the probe by Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott.

York College President Marcia V. Keizs racked up $14,784 bill

Photo courtesy: York Website.

from a firm that charges $1,000 an hour, according to the Post article. In February 2017, the CUNY board of trustees agreed to pay up to $25,000 in legal fees for every administrator that was going to be interviewed by the Inspector General.

The Post reported that other CUNY administrators have already spent over their allocated $25,000.

James Milliken, the former chancellor for CUNY, for example, spent $53,976.98 on his team of lawyers. Rudy Crew, the president of Medgar Evers College, spent $30,895 but was given a courtesy discount of $10,970.27 by the Pryor Cashman law firm

so his bill would become $25,000 exactly.

York College’s office of Marketing and Communications responded to questions about the $14,000 spent on legal fees and ongoing investigation with a statement saying “The University (CUNY) and the colleges are fully cooperating with the Inspector General’s Office.”

The CUNY-wide probe began in October 2016 when William C. Thompson, Jr., the chair of the CUNY Board of Trustees, requested that the State Inspector General open up a formal investigation into a number of CUNY’s policies.

The preliminary report, which was released in November 2016, was merely an interim report on the issues the Inspector General had seen in her preliminary investigation.

According to the 22-page report the Inspector General’s “initial review identified a number of systematic concerns largely attributable to CUNY’s lack of oversight that has led to financial waste and abuse within the CUNY system.”

Though the interim report only focused on the findings from Brooklyn College, Queens College, Hunter College, Lehman College, and the College of Staten Island, the report pointed out that CUNY policy that will be reviewed in depth is the Presidential Discretionary Funds.

The report noted that CUNY “has limited policies governing the use of the Presidential Discretionary Funds at its colleges, which has led to waste and misappropriation of funds meant to benefit the college.” It added that

while the funds are sometimes used for the benefit and growth of the school, their investigation uncovered that often times, a huge portion is used to provide presidents and other administrators with personal benefits.

As an example, the report revealed that Brooklyn College takes out $36,000 from the discretionary funds to pay for a parttime housekeeper to take care of the president’s house, that is owned by the college.

Aside from the discretionary funding, the investigation is also set to investigate the lack of oversight of CUNY-Affiliated Foundations, that has led to the loss of funds that would have benefited students.

The investigation is also looking into CUNY’s excessive compensation of officials in executive positions and CUNY’s use of internal and outside investigations rather than report fraud and abuse in the system to the Inspector General as required by the New York State Executive Law. According to published reports, the Inspector General is engaged in a far-reaching probe of CUNY’s rampant use of non-profit foundations to skirt accountability for financial transactions, including the recent award of a $1.25 million no-bid contract for “rebranding.”

The Jan. 27 Post article reported that the Inspector General’s full report is expected, “soon.”

Danielle Cruz is the Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at danielle.cruz@yorkmail.cuny. edu.

the college to participate in government programs to help the students,” Meleties added. “For example the financial aid program, if the college is not accredited, then the college cannot process financial aid for the students. But it’s not really a process that they come in one year. They are going to put you on a warning list and they are going to give you several warnings. It takes several years and several cycles.”

Responses, decisions and reports are public records and are available on York website. More information can be obtained on the MSCHE website.

Angel Adegbesan is the News Editor. She can be reached at angel.adegbesan@yorkmail. cuny.edu

yorkpbnews.net

NEWS PB Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

3

York’s Indo-Carribean Class First In CUNY

Richard David says he hopes this first-of-its-kind history class is the begining of something in CUNY and at York.

By Asar John During the second class of the Indo-Caribbean History class, for the Spring 2019 semester, Professor Richard David taught his students about the causes of the migration of Indians across the world.

Some of them included the actions of the British East India Company, the invention of the steamboat and its contributions to commerce in and out of India, etc.

Indo-CaribbeanHistory (HIST 401) is the first course of its kind to be taught at the City University of New York (CUNY).

It is taught by David, a Guyanese native who came to New York at age 10 and has been active in local politics for more than a decade.

Most recently he was elected to the post of district leader in the 31st Assembly District Part B which covers Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park with the backing of Congressman Gregory Meeks and State Sen. Leroy Comrie.

“I think it is important that it starts at York College, because York College is so close, geographically, to the largest Caribbean and Indo-Caribbean

community potentially in the country,” said David. “And a lot of the students here are Caribbean or Indo-Caribbean.”

According to the Indo-Caribbean Alliance website, Queens is home to the largest number of Indo-Caribbean people in New York City. Guyanese represent the second largest foreign-born population with over 82,000 individuals. Combined, immigrants from nations with Caribbean populations such as Trinidad and Guyana are 227,582.

With all different cultures and people of Caribbean ancestry in New York City, CUNY and York, David says there is a reason why specifically a Indo-Caribbean history course is being taught.

“We are teaching a specific Indo-Caribbean history because Caribbean history has been taught on different campuses. The challenge that Indo-Caribbeans face is marginalization,” David said.

“When you talk about Caribbean pop culture or Caribbean society in New York, you never think of Indians really being a part of that.”

George White, the chair of the department of History, Philosophy and Anthropology, said David proposed the idea of an In-

Photo credit: Asar John.

do-Caribbean history class to him about a year ago.

“Richard met someone in the administration who worked under President Keizs, they directed him to talk to me and we were able build the class over the summer,” White said.

HIST 401 encompasses social, political and economic influences that gave way to different cultural identities in nations with significant Indo-Caribbean populations.

The course is taught with visual aids, literature, films and guest speakers.

“The British had a very strong hold on India for several centuries,” said Andre Steer, a senior who is currently taking Indo-Caribbean History. “A lot of those people did travel to the Caribbean willingly and quite a number of them were also forced.”

White said he hopes this will be a starting point and that the college can expand upon this pioneering course.

Asar John is a staff reporter. He can be reached at asar.john@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

Director Talks On Upcoming Events For The Male Initiative Program At York

By Dwayne McBean York College’s Male Initiative Program is gearing up for another semester of success. The director of the program, Jonathan Quash, said the program is looking forward to the events they have planned for this semester, which will center around themes that range from technology to political awareness.

The first event of the semester, a Technology and Innovation Conference, will be held on March 15 at 10 a.m. in the Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center.

“We’ve invited schools from across the city really to come… [where they’ll be advised on] how to market yourself in the current technology field,” said Quash.

Mehak Vohra, the founder and CEO of Jamocha Media, will be a guest speaker for the event.

Vohra has been featured in Forbes

Photo credit: Kevin Caraballo

Magazine as number four on the 10 Generation Z Experts You Should Be Following list.

“She won’t be here long but absolutely there will be a chance to talk with her for questions and answers after the conference,” Quash added.

The semester’s first “Babershop Talk” group session will be

on Monday, March 18 at 5 p.m. in the Faculty Dining Room (AC2D01).

The talk will focus on students who are interested in attending Medical School. Quash said there will be a large gathering of students talking about a wide-range of issues. They also plan to talk about a program for

current college students interested in attending Medical School after graduation.

“Columbia University is going to come in and do a presentation and discuss a mentoring program called ‘Mentoring in Medicine,” said Quash. “They’ll also talk a little bit about the process of applying to Med school, what recruiters look for, what med schools look for, and how to sort of have that edge.”

The semester’s second “Barbershop Talk” will be on Monday, April 15. Quash says the conversation at the talk will cover politics, specifically about today’s generation of voters.

“We’ll discuss how to become not necessarily an activist but an informed voter,” said Quash.

“What different things mean, not on a basic level but more theoretical in terms of the politics of government… plus hearing it from the other side. We’re inviting specific classes to come and discuss

their opinions. It’s just a matter of discussing the issue in a manner that will allow them to freely express themselves.”

This semester the “Let’s Talk Series” featuring initiative members Charles Clink and Kevin Caraballo will take place on Feb. 28, March 14, March 28, April 11, April 18 and May 9 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Men’s Center or African American Resource Center (AC-3B01).

Students interested in getting involved with the Male Initiative Program are encouraged to visit the Men’s Center during office hours, Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in room AC-3MO2, where they can receive tutoring as well as mentoring.

Dwayne McBean is a contributing writer. He can be reached at dwayne.mcbean1@yorkmail. cuny.edu

NEWS PB Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

4

yorkpbnews.net

York’s Poli Sci Prof Talks About Democratic Women running for President there are five Democratic women who are running,” said Regina Joseph, a Business major and the President of the York’s Women Society Club. “I think that’s what we need because the presidency has been oversaturated by males.

I am just really appreciative that there are a lot of women, even women of color, who are even in (Congress). I am just grateful that I am a part of history where a lot of women are running.”

York’s Warren had a lot to say about and to the candidates.

PANDORA’S BOX (PB): Currently, there are five women competing against each other and five other men for a chance against the president of the United States. Who are you rooting for to win amongst the five women?

Kamala Harris.

Photo credit: Office of Attorney General Kamala Harris

By Rachel Dalloo With her Feb. 10 announcement, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar became the fifth female lawmaker to enter the 2020 presidential race and joined the ranks of top Democratic women challenging Donald Trump for the 2020 election.

Senators Kamala Harris(D-CA), Elizabeth Warren(D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand(D-NY) and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard(D-HI) had all previously announced that they are running for the Democratic nomination.

As of Press time, there are 12 candidates who have officially declared their run for the presidential race for 2020. Ten of the

candidates are running for the Democratic nomination. Five of the 10 candidates are women.

On Feb. 15 former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld became the first Republican challenger to take on Trump in the primary race.

“I am happy that (the 2020) elections are going to have a broad representation of politicians who are actually representing the population,” said Junis Warren, an associate professor of Political Science at York College.

The Presidential race has always been exciting to some but this year is even more exciting because of the volume of potential female nominees.

“I am actually so grateful that

JUNIS WARREN (JW): “I don’t know yet, it’s a bit early for me.

I want to see how this shakes up.

One of the things that’s turning me off is that everyone and their dog is running for president. You have Beto for President, Kamala Harris for Vice President. These women are more experienced, they have actually won elections.

Beto has not won anything, even though Texas was rough. So why can’t he be Vice President, and Kamala be President. Or Warren, or Gillibrand? It is time the American people elect a woman as the President of America. I would tell Kamala Harris, stand firm.

We hold women to tougher standards, and higher bars” PB:Do you think President Donald Trump should be afraid of these women who are campaigning for the Presidential election?

JW: “Trump is not afraid of anybody. I think he sees it as an easy access of winning. Trump is

Elizabeth Warren.

not afraid of his own Party or any women that is running.”

PB: Are there any critiques that you have for any of these women running for President?

JW: “I have a problem with Ms. Gabbard from Hawaii. (Gabbard)’s religion is not of issue with me, but her policy positions.

She crosses party lines too much.

She’s a Republican one day, a Democrat another day.”

PB: If you could talk to one of these women, is there anything you would like to say to them?

Photo credit: Working Families

#BUCKUP, stand tall, tell America. So, who cares, if you have a little bit of Native American in you? Thank you, as a white woman owning up to that. I don’t see it as a hindrance, I don’t see it as in insult. I don’t see anything wrong with a white person saying ‘hey, my great-grandmother was black…my great-grandmother was Hindu. That’s claiming who you are.”

Rachel Dalloo is the Assistant News Editor. She can be reached at rachel.dalloo@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

JW: “If I could talk to Elizabeth Warren, I would tell her

Pandora’s Box

STAFF REPORTERS NEEDED! Interested in writing for Pandora’s Box?

• Build your Portfolio • Make lifelong connections • Earn some money for your pocket • Learn to better your writing skills • Be a part of a team Come to 2C13 or send and email to danielle.cruz@yorkmail.cuny.edu

yorkpbnews.net

NEWS PB Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

Upcoming Scholarships Avaliable at York

nese Government in collaboration with AASCU and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Washington D.C. This is an amazing opportunity for both undergraduate and graduate students to explore China and immense in a new culture. Each scholarship is valued at approximately $10,000 U.S dollars. You would only need to pay for your round-trip flight.

The scholarship includes: · Tuition and fees · Room and Board · Health insurance · Travel/Conference Allowance/Fees · Stipend The application deadline has been extended to February 28, 2019. Detailed information about this scholarship can be found through on their website.

For any questions or additional information about the AASCU application process, please contact: Sufei Li at lis@aascu.org

Here are a list of scholarships that are available to incoming Freshmen:

The Benjamin Gilman Scholarship flyer. Photo Courtesy: The Scholarship Office at York.

By Theodora Danso Funding for college costs can be strenuous for students, financial aid sometimes does not cover full tuition and students are left to pay the rest out of pocket. Scholarships are available to make tuition payment a bit easier.

York College offers students the opportunity to apply for numerous scholarships that are available to them. Grants and scholarships can be used for anything from tuition, books fees to transportation and other school expenses. However, most applications have deadlines throughout the semester. Below are a few of them with their upcoming deadlines for the 2018-2019 academic year.

York College Foundation Scholarships: This scholarship is based upon the needs of York’s entering and currently enrolled students.

There are scholarships offered for specific majors. The deadline for application of this scholarship is March 1, 2019. More information can be obtained from York’s website.

UNCF General Scholarship: This scholarship is restricted to students who are enrolled full-time at one of the 37 United Negro College Fund Member Institutions during the 2018-2019 academic year. York is one of the Member institutions. The UNCF general application is primarily used as a matching tool to identify potential eligible students for scholarship opportunities that do not require submitting an online application. The deadline for ap-

plication is March 29, 2019. More information can be obtained on the application website.

Study Abroad: Take advantage of this amazing opportunity to fulfill your wanderlust and learn at the same time during the summer and fall semesters.

The Benjamin A. Gilman International scholarship program is an undergraduate grant program for U.S citizens who have limited financial means to enable them study abroad. This program, provided by the U.S. State Department, helps students by preparing them to thrive in the global economy. More information is available on the Gilman Scholarship website. The deadline for the Summer and Fall 2019 semester is March 1, 2019.

Another scholarship to apply for is the Chancellor’s Global Scholarship (CGS). It is offered twice a year, for summer or fall programs and for winter or spring programs. The deadline for the summer/fall semester is also March 27, 2019. Information is available on their website and at the Scholarship center.

The deadline for the Freeman Asia scholarship is April 5, 2019. The scholarship is available for undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need to study in East or Southeast Asia.

The scholarship center can provide more information on this as well as provide the application form and eligibility requirements.

More information can also be found on their website.

There is also the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) scholarship for studying abroad in China for the 2019-2020 academic year.

This is by courtesy of the Chi-

UNCF STEM Scholarship: The UNCF STEM scholarship program is an initiative designed to help provide scholarship and academic support for a total of 500 African American high school students who aspire to earn STEM degrees and to pursue careers in STEM fields.

The program, enables highly capable young people to pursue undergraduates STEM majors and prepares them for successful careers in a variety of STEM professions. The application is open for high school seniors who are entering college as a first-time freshmen in Fall 2019. The deadline for application is March 3, 2019.

More information is provided on the application website.

Boule Foundation Scholarship: The Boule Foundation in conjunction with UNCF will provide annual $4,000 merit-based scholarships to entering college freshmen students of African American descent attending a four-year, non-profit degree granting colleges,like York. More information can be obtained on the application website. The deadline for this scholarship is on March 31, 2019.

The Scholarship Center, located at AC-4DA1, is always available to help out with applications, essays and statements that may be required for any of these scholarships. The Collaborative Learning Center located at AC-1C18 can also help students improve their writing skills and assist in writing up their applications.

All the information is by courtesy of the Office of Scholarships Enterprises in Room AC4DA1.

Theodora Danso is a contributing writer. She can be reached at theodora.danso@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Follow Us Online At yorkpbnews.net

5

News Briefs: By Staff The York College Community presented a big heart to President Marcia Keizs on Valentine’s Day to mark her 14th anniversary as the President of York College.

Keizs was appointed as the President of York on Feb. 14, 2005. One of her anniversary gifts included a big chocolate heart handed to Keizs by the college mascot during the spring symposium on Feb. 14.

York College announced a new Customer Service and Complaint Portal on its website. Complaints or concerns submitted to this system will be immediately forwarded to the appropriate office, so it can review and respond as appropriate. Concerns may include complaints by students regarding classes and professors, misconduct by faculty and staff or allegations of discrimination and sexual harassment.

York’s Customer Service Task force will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting on Feb. 19 in the Academic Core Atrium from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. The task force will provide information regarding many customer service initiatives taking place throughout the campus. The point of the meeting is to invite students, faculty and staff to come and share their questions and concerns with the task force.

The Executive Director of Facilities and Operations, David Patnaude announced that the Custodial Services is implementing an overnight shift for the Spring 2019 semester from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

The shift will consist of five custodians and one supervisor focusing on classrooms and bathrooms so they are operational for the workday. For this shift, all bathrooms will be closed from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. except the ones by Public Safety, the “F” corridor by the loading dock and the bathroom by the Starbucks on the second floor.

The Office of Student Development is encouraging all students to run as a candidate in the Student government Association (SGA) Election, which will be held April 16-18, 2019. Students interested in running must attend at least one Mandatory Candidates Meeting.

The meetings are held on Feb.19 and Feb. 21 from 12 p.m. to 1:50 p.m. in room AC-2A06 and from 5 p.m. to 5:50 p.m. in room AC-2A03. Students can either run as a Departmental Senator or Senator-at Large for the 2019-2020 academic year.

The Office of Scholarship Enterprises at York announced an opportunity for students to apply for a paid PayPal internship. It starts in June of 2019. More information regarding the internship can be provided by the Scholarship center located at AC- 4DA1. There are multiple positions available. The deadline for an application is Feb. 28.

ARTS PB Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

6

yorkpbnews.net

CUNY Dance Initiative Workshops Return to York for Spring Semester

This years York Coellhe Arts Festival will include a performance by dance groups partnering with CDI.

By Sherry Shivpersad After a successful tryout last year, York College is expanding its participation in a CUNY-wide arts program called the CUNY Dance Initiative (CDI), a University effort to combine the talent of established professionals with students and the communities surrounding college campuses.

According to the CDI website, they work to bring together local or professional dance groups, and choreographers from New York City to the various CUNY campuses throughout the city. Their goal is to engage students in learning about dance and to give CDI participants and

the public the tools and space in which to learn and hone their skills. Since the program’s start CDI has worked with 13 CUNY schools.

The CUNY Dance Initiative website states that they are “a residency program that opens the doors of CUNY campuses to professional choreographers and dance companies. CDI supports local artists, enhances the cultural life and education of college students, and builds new dance audiences at CUNY performing arts centers.”

The director and curator of CDI, Alyssa Alpine, said she has coordinated roughly two dozen residencies for dance artists selected to take part in the program

Photo credit: York College

this year. The dance artists and companies in residencies range from specializing in modern, formal, and contemporary dance according to Alpine.

Alpine said she wants to make sure that CDI includes all types of dance for CUNY students, faculty, and the public to learn.

“I chose artists to perform a diversity of dance styles such as Japanese dance and from wide range of 100 different styles,” she said.

Last year CDI dance workshops were held at York College in the Milton G. Bassin Performing Arts Center. The most recent class was taught by the Matthew Westerby Company.

This year York College is a part of CDI’s fifth anniversary which will showcase “the diversity of dance styles, perspectives, and cultural expressions that has come through CDI’s doors.”

According to CDI’s website, funding for the anniversary is being provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation with additional support from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation.

CDI was created in 2014 after a survey was completed in 2010 which, according to Alpine, concluded that “Small to midsize companies have a hard time finding a dance space. Also, the survey found that the CUNY campus theaters were underutilized.”

Now, through the program, CUNY theaters are available for dance companies partnering with CDI to use in order to conduct their workshops and performances.

All of the dancers and dancing troupes that participate in the program receive a rehearsal room, performance space, and a stipend. The program also works to bring live dance performances to campuses that are either free or reasonably priced.

Chloe Arnold, the artistic director of Syncopated Ladies, stated in an interview on the CUNY Dance Initiative website, that being able to participate in the program was a dream for her as a director.

“So, we’re here coming to our New York theater everyday for two weeks and it’s just fabulous.

I feel like this is the dream we’re living the dream,” said Arnold.

Both the Mari Meade Dance Collective and Matthew Westerby Dance Company are partnering

with CDI this semester at York College to teach dance lessons to all those who are interested.

Some of the upcoming workshops at York include one taught by the Mari Meade Dance Company on Apr. 4 in the Performing Arts Center, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The workshop will teach students and faculty dance techniques like Cunningham, Releases and Limon. This class will be free for everyone.

On Apr. 20 starting at 7 p.m. the college will be hosting a youth showcase in the main stage theater. The showcase will include performances by the Matthew Westerby Dance Company with dancers from local high schools and dance schools. This is a free event that is open to the public.

On May 17, at 7 p.m., the YC ARTS Fest Lets Dance! will feature a dance performance by the Mari Meade Dance Company and the Matthew Westerby Dance Company.

The upcoming performance at York by the Matthew Westerby Company titled Save Me is described on the company’s website as, “...a demonstration of the internal impact that people collide with when they put on an act in both private and public scenarios.” There will be a $10 fee for this performance.

Check out the CDI website or the York College Fine Arts page for a full listing of workshops and performances.

Sherry Shivpersad is a staff reporter. She can be reached at sherry.shivpersad@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Artwork of Former York College Professor on Display in Art Gallery

Viewers in the Art Gallery veiw Borstein’s art at its opening. Photo credit: Adisa Sobers.

Elena Borstein held an artist talk on Feb.7.

By Richard Heaton On Feb. 7, Elena Borstein returned to York College after 18 years to display her love of architecture in the college’s art gallery.

The exhibit, titled Gift of Art, features 19 paintings that were made

by Borstein between 1985 and 2015.

Borstein and York President Marcia V. Keizs both attended the opening of the exhibit, along with dozens of viewers, students and staff alike.

In total nearly two dozen paintings are on display high-

Photo credit: Adisa Sobers.

lighting different styles of architecture. Many of these paintings were inspired by Borstein’s experiences traveling through different cities and countries. During the late 20th century she traveled to Havana, Cuba where she fell in love with the colorful buildings and as a result her artwork inspired by the architecture “emphasized the lush colors on the aging facades…”

According to the exhibit guide given out at the opening, Borstein’s work is a reflection of the “various places she has visited or reconstructed in her imagination.”

Each section of the exhibit is

broken up into the different places she visited. So on one side you have her work inspired by the places she visited in the Mediterranean and on the other side you’ll see the artwork she made from her inspiration of the architecture in the Bronx and Jamaica, Queens.

When recalling reactions to her artwork based in Queens and the Bronx, Borstein remembered someone telling her that people would never want to see something from these boroughs, but she decided to keep on because she saw the beauty in the peeling facades of the buildings.

During a talk at the opening

Borstein explained that the artwork in the exhibit was created using her personally developed airbrush techniques. The colors were achieved by using both pastels and acrylics to re-create the vibrant architecture as she wanted to see it portrayed.

She said she returned to York out of affection for the college after having taught here for more than three decades. She was one of York’s founding faculty members and taught for 32 years. She retired in 2001, just four years before President Keizs took over.

At the exhibit, President Keizs praised Borstein for her continued support of the arts program at CUNY and spoke of how thrilled she was to have an exhibit with Borstein’s original artwork.

“We are so proud of the work that the gallery does and we are thrilled to have [Borstein] come

back and work with us,” said Keizs.

If you want to know more about the paintings, you can view more photos on our website, yorkpbnews.net, or head down to the art gallery and see the paintings for yourself.

The exhibit, which will be up until Mar. 8, is located in the art gallery on the first floor of the Academic Core building, right next to the Liberty Avenue entrance.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu.

ARTS PB Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

yorkpbnews.net

7

Spring 2019 Music Workshops and Sessions

The jazz workshop takes place every Tuesday at 6 p.m.

Both the Jam session, music club and Jazz workshop happen in room LL01.

By Danielle Cruz Wanting to encourage students’ passion for music, the York College Music Department is currently hosting two weekly music workshops/sessions.

Open to all interested students regardless of their musical background or knowledge the two music programs, both held in room LL01 in the Academic Core Building, are: The York College Jam Session, held every Tuesday from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. and the The York College Jazz Workshop which is held on Tuesdays from 6 p.m.- 8 p.m.

Held by Music Professor Thomas Zlabinger the Jam Session allows for students to meet up and, with no predetermined track, simply come up with music on the spot.

“The session is open to all kinds of music making. And original music making (grooves, songs, beats, rhymes, whatever) is strongly encouraged,” said Zlabinger. “The session is a reflection of who is in the room that day. And the only limitation is that those present work together as a group to make some musical magic happen.”

According to Zlabinger, the jam session is meant to give students a space to not only engage in music making but also it showcases the different cultures and musical taste on campus.

“The main reasons for the session is to build community around music making and to feature our many talents on campus,” said Zlabinger. “We have such wide range of cultures within our campus community,

Photo credit: Danielle Cruz

that the hope is to create a space where inclusive musical dialogue can occur.”

The jam session is also meant to help students learn how to make music in a group setting and learn how to be leaders and followers. The session also teaches students how to respond to music and keep the music flowing.

“I hope students walk away with a better understanding of how to make music together, how to be leaders and followers, how to listen to the musical moment and respond to it, and how to keep the vibe flowing,” said Zlabinger.

The Jazz workshop is held

by Music Professor Mark Adams and allows for interested students to learn how to play Jazz songs in a community setting.

“I decided to hold the Jazz Workshop, to give students of all musical levels an opportunity to learn and/or be exposed to Jazz in an informal environment,” said Adams.

According to Adams he decided to hold the workshop after all the Jazz clubs in Queens closed. He hopes that by holding this weekly workshop he will allow students and people from the community a close outlet and space to practice and learn Jazz.

“I decided to open the Jazz Workshop to students as well as people in the community and beyond because most of the Jazz Clubs in Queens has closed, and the most recent jazz club to close was the club ‘Manhattan Proper’,” said Adams. “This was the last remaining Jazz Club in Queens, that many York College students used to attend and play and work out their musical concepts. Therefore I started The York College Jazz Workshop in hopes to fill that void for students as well as people in the community that play jazz and wanting an outlet to do so.”

Those who attend the workshop will learn not only how to

The Best and Worst of the Academy Awards

20 of the Academy Awards biggest categories.

The 91st Academy Award’s will air on Feb.24.

By Richard Heaton On Feb. 24, the 91st Academy Awards will take place, recognizing the best films of last year.

The nominees were all announced on Jan. 22, allowing creative film lovers plenty of time to predict who’s going to win what award.

In 2018, I’ve gone to the movies more than 130 times, so I have

a fairly solid understanding of what’s good and bad in the world of film and decided to do my own prediction series.

Out of all the great movies that came out in 2018, the one I see stealing the show award season is BlacKkKlansman. The Spike Lee directed film which stars John David Washington, Adam Driver, and Topher Grace received six nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.

Photo credit:Cliff on Flickr.

I see the film winning five of them. On its own, it sounds like an impossible achievement, winning five awards, but it’s been done a total of 64 times. The most recent film to win at least five awards was Mad Max: Fury Road, in 2015.

Other films I see winning multiple awards include Mary Poppins Returns, A Star is Born, Vice, and Isle of Dogs.

Here are my predictions for

Best Visual Effects- Ready Player One Best Costume Design- Mary Poppins Returns Best Makeup and Hair- Mary, Queen of Scots Best Original Song- Shallow (A Star is Born) Best Original Score- Isle of Dogs Best Production Design- Mary Poppins Returns Best Sound Editing- A Quiet Place Best Film Editing- Vice Best Documentary- Free Solo Best Cinematography- A Star is Born Best Original Screenplay- BlacKkKlansman Best Adapted Screenplay- BlacKkKlansman Best Animated Short- Bao Best Animated Features- Isle of Dogs Best Director- Spike Lee Best Supporting Actress- Amy Adams Best Supporting Actor- Adam Driver Best Actress- Melissa McCarthy Best Actor- Rami Malek Best Picture- BlacKkKlansman This is just the second time that Melissa McCarthy was nominated for an Oscar. Her last nomination was in 2012 for Bridesmaids but lost to Octavia Spencer.

Rami Malek and Adam Driver are

Photo credit: Danielle Cruz

play classic Jazz songs but also meet people with the same interest and learn repertoire and improvisation skills.

I want anyone who attends this workshop to learn repertoire and learn how to improvise or improve their improvisational skills,” said Adams. “It is a friendly environment and it is a great networking environment for folks who share the same interest to meet each other.”

Both the Jam Session and the Jazz workshop are geared towards making students feel more comfortable with music and regardless of whether you can play an instrument or simply want to listen all students are encouraged to attend.

“You will not find a more supportive or inclusive jam session,” said Zlabinger. “Any musician of any kind will have something to offer and can participate.

And there is always an air of positivity and encouragement in the room.”

Danielle Cruz is the Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at danielle.cruz@yorkmail.cuny. edu

both first time nominees this year while Amy Adams was nominated five times, missing out each time.

If Isle of Dogs wins Best Original Score, it would be Alexandre Desplat’s third Oscar win in five years. He won in 2015 for The Grand Budapest Hotel and again in 2018 for The Shape of Water.

His first Oscar nomination was in 2007 and has since been nominated for Best Original Score a total of ten times.

Now that we took a look at all the movies that might win, it’s time to take a look at those films and actors that were not nominated but really deserved to be.

These are known as snubs.

The following films did not receive a nomination but was really powerful, emotional, unique, or flat out beautiful.

Sorry to Bother You Crazy Rich Asians Searching Sicario: Day of the Soldado American Animals In less than a week, we will see what the Academy has to say about the films that were nominated.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu.

8

Gallery Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

PB Photo Gallery: York Cardinals Senior Night

Photo gallery by Adisa Sobers Story on Page 16

yorkpbnews.net

yorkpbnews.net

Gallery B PB Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

PB Photo Gallery: Former Professor, Elena Borstein, Opens Art Exhibit

Photo gallery by Adisa Sobers Story on Page 6

9

ARTS PB

10

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

Alita: Battle Angel Review

Alita: Battle Angel promotional poster.

By Richard Heaton Alita: Battle Angel was a crazy movie, and definitely worth seeing. It was full of everything you could ever want from a high octane blockbuster. Even if you have never read or watched Alita before, the movie has something for everybody.

Alita: Battle Angel is adapted from the Japanese manga, Battle Angel Alita or Gunnm, that was created by Yukito Kishiro in the late 90’s. It follows Alita (Rosa Salazar), a humanoid cyborg who is found and rebuilt by a hunter/ scientist known as Ido (Christoph Waltz).

She begins with no memory of who she is but eventually recovers bits of her past with the help of Ido and her new friends (and enemies). As Alita learns more about herself, she fights, she falls in love, and she plays in a

Photo credit: WIkipedia Commons

crazy sport called Motorball.

Most of the film relies on Motorball so there’s a decent amount of scenes involving the sport. If you want to know what Motorball is, imagine Quidditch on rocket powered roller skates but each player is a Slytherin beater.

However, because of how amazing those scenes are, a few more Motorball matches wouldn’t have hurt.

When it comes to the plot, drama, and emotions of the film, they’re all great but really come second to the visual feats.

Throughout the film, there’s always something insane to see; whether it’s the huge world, intense fights, or simply the look of human heads on robotic bodies. The film is just so much fun to look at, and it gets even better if you can watch it in a premium format such as Dolby.

In Dolby, there are scenes where the seats shake a lot. It’s

not like 4D though, where they’re supposed to move, they’re just reacting to the sound. It really makes you feel like you’re in the middle of the action. You feel every attack and every little motion blows you away with how real it looks and sounds.

Look beyond the spectacular effects and the film is full of life.

It’s about family, friendship, love, and the process of growing up.

Every actor and actresses in Alita did their performances perfectly, especially those that were motion capture, like Alita. While filming, Salazar would wear a suit with a special camera trained on her face to capture her performance.

This allowed for Alita to be nearly 100 percent Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) while still able to portray the features, emotions, and movement of the actresses.

Waltz did very well as her “adoptive father/mentor,” Ido. You’re able to learn a lot about his life as well, which helps create challenges for Alita. You learn about his career, his family, and his past.

When you put everything together, you end up with one amazing film, which is exactly what Alita: Battle Angel is. Overall, I would give the film a score of 92 out of 100. That changes if the film is seen in a premium format.

The IMAX, Dolby, or 3D version of the film gets a 95 out of 100.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

Movie Review: Cold Pursuit

By Richard Heaton First, Liam Neeson kicked butt on a plane in Non-Stop and then he kicked butt in a train in The Commuter. Now he’s kicking butt in a snow plow in his newest film, Cold Pursuit.

Neeson is apparently a master of kicking butt in vehicles and also at being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Cold Pursuit was released on Feb. 8 and marked a change of scenery for Neeson. This wasn’t the kind of action we’re used to from a Liam Neeson film, like Taken, but an entirely new take on the action genre.

Cold Pursuit is dark, vicious, and gritty. When asked to compare it to another film, the first answer to pop into my head was Pulp Fiction. In fact, the film is so dark that instead of cast members being listed in order of appearance they are listed in order of disappearance, as in the order they died.

The film mixes Neeson’s standard action sequences with a lot of dark humor and beautiful mountain-side shots of Colorado.

At times, the film can be just a little bit disturbing in part to both the nature of the violence and hu-

mor. Louise Keller of Urban Cinefile liked this aspect of the film, saying “It’s good to see Neeson in a film that offers more than just action.”

If you don’t like dark and disturbing films, or you can’t really bring yourself to watch films by Quentin Tarantino or Denis Villeneuve, then this isn’t the film for you. However, critics loved the tone and change of scenery.

Before the films release and the controversy surrounding Neeson, Rotten Tomatoes overall score for Cold Pursuit was 82 percent, which would have made it one of his best films in more than a decade.

As for the plot of the film, Neeson plays snow plow operator, Nelson Coxman, but the film doesn’t seem to revolve around him as much as other conflicts going on around the town of Kehoe.

Sure, Nelson’s son is killed

by Viking and he goes on a long streak of revenge but the story also heavily revolves around Viking killing the Eskimo and attempting to kill White Bull. Then, Nelson gets angry that Viking killed Wingman and then even more crazy named characters appear and die just as quick.

The strange system of appearance and disappearance is one of the reasons that make the film so

captivating and humorous. One of the other reasons is the performance of Tom Bateman as Viking.

He plays an incredibly over-thetop villain who seems like he’s always angry and screaming at the top of his lungs. Because of that, even though he’s a baddie, you grow to like his character and his unpredictability.

Don’t be surprised if next year there are fans of his who see him as a candidate for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.

The only issues that I see with the film are that there are multiple conflicts that don’t appear to be resolved and there are some points and events that simply don’t make any sense. These issues don’t make the film any less enjoyable, but only leave you confused afterward once you really start thinking about them.

The film is expected to earn around $10 million throughout its opening weekend and is definitely worth seeing once, maybe even twice. It’s really everything you should expect from a thriller and my overall grade for Cold Pursuit will be a 92 out of 100.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

yorkpbnews.net

The Creative Corner Girl Code

By Autumn Matthews You have two best friends, Storm and Tyler, that you love dearly. Ever since the third grade Tyler, Storm, and you used to do everything together. That all changed once Tyler and Storm started to hate each other.

They could no longer stand to be in the same room together without wanting to rip each other’s head off. Left stuck in the middle, you now have to hang out with them both separately in order to avoid the tension between the two. You still don’t understand why Tyler and Storm hate each other’s guts so much when all three of you have been best friends for nearly a decade.

So you decide that you are going to set up a lunch date for all of you to figure out whatever is happening between the two girls and end the fight between the two for good. You make sure it is a public place so that Storm and Tyler both make sure to stay quiet and classy so they don’t draw attention. You give them both a chance to speak and you learn that the two girls had been fighting with each other over a guy.

Apparently during your freshman year of college, Tyler started dating a guy that Storm dated back when you guys were juniors in high school.

After listening to both sides of the story,you tell both girls that it is ridiculous to end their 10 year friendship over some guy and that you are sick of them both acting like a fool everytime they are around each other.

They realized what you are saying is right and they eventually hug it out and say their “I’m sorrys” to each other.

The moral of the story is don’t break the “girl code” and let a guy come between your friendship.

Autumn Matthews is a staff reporter. She can be reached at autumn.matthews@yorkmail. cuny.edu

IF YOU HAVE A POEM, ESSAY, LETTER OR SHORT STORY YOU WOULD LIKE TO PUBLISH IN PANDORA’S BOX, SEND IT TO THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AT DANIELLE. CRUZ@YORKMAIL.CUNY.EDU

ARTS PB Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

yorkpbnews.net

11

Top Six Moments From the 61st Annual Grammy Awards ing they’ll be sitting in the seats hearing “and the Grammy goes to BTS!”

Grammy Award.

Photo credit:Colby Sharp on Flickr

By Danielle Cruz From unique artist collaborations and spectacular stage designs, the 61st annual Grammys, hosted by Alicia Keys, was actually pretty interesting.

Albeit for me, this was probably the first time I have ever watched the Grammys from beginning to end so I can’t say if it was more enjoyable than other years, but I definitely enjoyed the performances and speeches throughout the show.

Below you’ll find a list of some of the moments that stood out to me while watching this year’s Grammys.

~

Beyond The Scene (BTS) Steals the Show: Alright so admittedly the only reason I watched the Grammys was to see BTS. The South Korean boyband, whose album, Love Yourself: Tear, was nominated for the lesser known category of Best Recording Package, was set to attend the Grammys and present the award

for Best R&B Album.

So I watched the award show from beginning to end (since they strategically made sure BTS would be at the end so their fans, aka me, would watch till the very end to see the 10 seconds they were on stage to announce the winners). Nonetheless, if you weren’t a fan of BTS you would have thought that they were performing or were at least nominated for a big award with how much media coverage they were given for just presenting.

It was a big deal though.

Though they weren’t up for a well known Grammy, this marked the first time a Korean artist was presenting at the Grammys. Many are looking at it as a sign that next year they will become the first Koreans to be nominated for one of the big awards and potentially become the first Korean artist to win an award.

If anything, presenting the award only served to make BTS more determined to be nominated for a Grammy with Kim Namjoon (RM), the leader of BTS, promising that next year they will be back and instead of present-

Camila Cabello Opens the Show: When I heard Camila Cabello was opening the show with her hit song Havana, I was already thinking about not watching those first few minutes because I was so tired of hearing it on repeat all the time, but the thought of missing a glimpse of BTS was too powerful so I ended up watching her opening the show.

I have to say though that I was honestly pleasantly surprised by her performance. Maybe it was because I’ve only heard the song 100 times and have never seen it performed live but, I thought it was a pretty solid and engaging opening number.

I actually even liked that she shared the stage with Young Thug, Ricky Martin, and J Balvin.

At first, I thought it was going to sound too crowded. I thought she was just sort of going to give them a hasty line from Havana for them to sing, but when she incorporated their songs it actually flowed really well.

I thought the set design of recreating a Hispanic community, similar to a la plaza (it also kind of reminded me a bit of the set for the musical In the Heights), was a really nice touch and worked well to give the song that latino vibe it needed.

Dolly Parton Tribute: Whether you like country music or not I think just about everyone starts singing Jolene whenever they hear it played.

I know a lot of people were saying Katy Perry was trying to upstage Dolly Parton, but I honestly didn’t even notice. I think this is just another case of people wanting to start fights between artist for no particular reason.

That being said, I did think it was a weird choice to have Katy Perry on stage since she’s not a country singer.

I think for me the best part of the tribute was when she sang

Jolene with Miley Cyrus and Red Shoes with Little Big Town.

Motown Tribute: Now I know a lot of people were disappointed to say the least when they learned that Jennifer Lopez was going to be the one performing the Motown tribute.

I mean it is strange that they contacted J.Lo instead of someone like Jennifer Hudson to do the tribute, but I think they choose J. Lo because she can dance and they were going for a more energetic tribute.

Honestly, I think J.Lo’s vocals were pretty good, whether she had a little help from a back track is debatable, but I thought that her performance was pretty sold and having Smokey Robinson on stage definitely made it worthwhile to see.

The only issue I had with her performance was that the stage and costume designs didn’t say Motown to me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her costumes. I just think that it wasn’t the right choice for a Motown tribute. She could have worn clothing from that time period instead of her signature glitter bodysuit.

Drakes Speech Gets Cut Off: One of the most talked about moments was when Drake’s acceptance speech for Best Rap Song, for his song God’s Plan, was cut off.

As the rapper took to the stage he went on to say artists play in an “opinion based sport, not a factually based sport.” He went on to discredit the Grammys saying artists don’t even need the award because they have already won if their fans love their work and attend their shows.

While he was mid-speech talking about how the Grammys are basically meaningless, the music suddenly started playing as they cut quickly to commercial break leading many to believe that executives pulled the plug before Drake could discredit them anymore.

I’m kind of on the fence about

this. I understand that they could have cut it because they didn’t like Drake’s message, but I also understand that artists are only allowed a certain amount of time to say their speech. So it could just be that he spoke for too long.

Cardi B: Her win of Best Rap Album, for her album Invasion of Privacy, marked the first time that solo female artist has won the award.

The rapper, who was visibly (and understandably) emotional made sure to thank her production team, the other artist featured on the album and her husband, Offset, and daughter, Kulture, for pushing her to make this album.

She talked about the sleepless nights that she had while she was pregnant and making the album since she was trying to finish wrapping it up before she started showing.

I did feel bad though that she ended up getting a lot of hate because she won instead of the late Mac Miller, especially after people found out that the Grammys flew Miller’s family out to the award show with a promise that they had a tribute ready for him if he won Best Rap Album. The fact that she ended up getting hated on is baffling because it’s not like she decided if she won or not.

It’s the committee’s fault for getting Mac Miller’s family’s hopes up for no reason.

~ Overall, I really enjoyed watching the Grammys. Having Alicia Keys host the show was the right call. I felt like she has such a calming and charismatic presence that it really just allowed for the show to run rather smoothly.

Danielle Cruz is the Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at danielle.cruz@yorkmail.cuny. edu

Is Everything Awesome? A Lego Movie 2 Review

Photo credit: AndMan3001

By Richard Heaton In a little more than a week, fans of the original Lego Movie will be able to see the newest addition to the Lego Film franchise.

On Feb. 8, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part will be released.

Some fans already had the opportunity to see the film, and as a result, there’s quite a bit to say

about Emmet and the gang. While this is the sequel to the 2014 film, that scored a 96 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it is in fact very different.

The first thing fans thought of when a sequel was announced was how could the film continue and build off of the first? If you watched the first, you know that the core of the film, the foundation of the plot, was the relationship between father and son.

At the end, that relationship was mended and made stronger, so what else is there to fix in a second film? Well Part 2 starts off with the final few moments of the first film when the father, nicknamed the Man Upstairs, reveals that his daughter will be allowed to play with his Lego sets.

The sequel then goes on to explore the sibling dynamic.

Throughout the film, we see both brother and sister growing up, playing together, and arguing.

You quickly learn that the core of the film is still about family and friends, no matter how much time travel and space exploration is involved.

Once you understand the theme of the film, you can begin to appreciate everything else about Part 2. The humor isn’t as good as it was in the original, but it still holds its own. It’s primarily a kids film, but there’s still a handful of jokes that will make viewers of all ages laugh.

The animation is as good as it can be for a film about Lego bricks and the sounds are still amazing.

One reason that the first film was so good was for their use of voices and sound effects. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller played with different sound effects to make sure they were cute, silly, or straight up dumb. The team had no issue in replicating that in the sequel.

This time, the film was directed by Mike Mitchell, with Miller and Lord serving as both producers and writers. Mitchell previously directed Trolls, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, and Shrek: Forever After, so he’s no stranger to humor.

Newcomers to the film included Tiffany Haddish, Stephanie Beatriz, and Bruce Willis while Gal Gadot, Jason Mamoa, and Margot Robbie reprised their live-action roles as Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Harley Quinn. Neither of the three have

appeared in any of the Lego films before this.

The film definitely had its moments and is really worth a trip to the theaters if you want a good laugh or if you know somebody who would love it. The film is also really good if you can see it in a premium format, such as 3D, IMAX, and Dolby.

When it releases, The Lego Movie 2 will be available in those three premium formats, but others such as Prime, 4D, and ScreenX have not been confirmed yet.

Overall, it’s a pretty heartwarming story mixed with some over the top humor and a couple of musical numbers.

I would rate The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part an 88 out of 100.

Richard Heaton is the Arts & Entertainment Editor. He can be reached at richard.heaton@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

OP PBED Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

yorkpbnews.net

12

Virginia Governor Should Step Down Amid Blackface Scandal

By Rachel Dalloo On Feb. 1, images surfaced from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam’s medial school yearbook from a conservative rightwinged website, showcasing images of two unidentified students. One wearing blackface and the other in a Ku Klux Klan hood, which was on Northam’s page of the yearbook. Very shortly after the news had broken that Northam was indeed in the 1984 yearbook photo, he was quick to address the situation and apologize in front of a press conference. Preceding his “apology,” Northam then went on to note that he truly believed that it was not him in the photograph. He also discussed with Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax that he has no recollection of taking the photo, but there could be a “possibility” of him being one of the Despite calls for his resignation Virginia Governor Ralph Northam says that he will not step down from office. men illustrated in the photo.

Photo credit:Craig on Flickr.

Clearly, he is lying. If that is not ures, it makes it very difficult to. someone who is representing the “super” late term abortion. Unenough proof from the recent We are meant to have faith and state. For someone who felt and forgivable!” That response alone days to prove that he is indeed high hopes for these figures, but thought this way, in that period.” is to be considered hypocritical. in that photograph, then I don’t when they pull an act like this, It’s not a shocker that this Prof. Jackson noted, “He’s know what is. it questions what kind of people has happened. This isn’t the first a hypocrite. Look at the source, Northam isn’t the only nota- they are behind closed doors. time someone of his ranking and look at all the damage he has ble figure who has received back“I’m not surprised. This is status in politics has done or said done to his employees, all the lash for past issues regarding America, this goes back to the something, then lied about it. people who has worked for him. blackface. Last October, Former slavery days in this country, so Donald Trump made some quite The lies he has told over his adFox & NBC News television jour- it’s not new. It’s just being re- disturbing comments about Hai- ministration, this is a person that nalist Megyn Kelly was widely occurred, but not new”, said ti and Africa back in 2018, then you can’t expect to use the normal criticized for her on-air com- Andrew Jackson, an associate lied and basically said that the scale of right and wrong with, bements regarding using blackface professor of Philosophy and An- information was taken out of its cause he has his own concept of for Halloween costumes. She said thropology at York. “If he didn’t original context. Donald Trump what is right. It’s completely difon-air, “When I was a kid, that pose for it, why would he apolo- did release a tweet, calling out ferent from the traditional scale was okay as long as you were gize for it in the first place? There Northam stating: “Democrat of right and wrong with Ameridressing up as like a character.” are residents in the state of Vir- Governor Ralph Northam of Vir- can society”.

It’s the disgraceful comments ginia who believe that this is just ginia just stated, “I believe that Men and women of every that come from professionals that an isolated incident as a mistake I am not either of the people in color should never be discrimmake it seem, to some, that this to be made when he was young, that photo.” This was 24 hours inated against for the way they is acceptable in the society that and his track record proves for it- after apologizing for appearing look, their skin tone, nationaliwe live in. Where we are meant self. There are other people who in the picture and after making ty, social status, or upbringing. to look up to these prominent fig- feel that, this is unforgivable for the most horrible statement on Racism was never alright in the

past, it’s not today, and together we must make sure that it never gets to the point where we have to question where we stand as being equal. As a nation, we as citizens must stand firmly with one another, when the people who we think we should trust let us down.

A governor is meant to be the leading figure for a state’s government. Just like any president would lead the federal government. Governors are supposed to show respect, consideration, honor, favor…the list is endless.

One aspect that no person who holds high power should be accountable of is racism. Racism in the era we live in today is seen as a way to push someone’s values and achievements down. Some treat the topic of racism lightly.

Some may think that it’s okay to use another’s looks, cultures and background for their Halloween costume. That’s a problem. The term that has been surrounding controversial topics of discussion is “blackface”. The definition of blackface is makeup that is used by a non-black performer, who is performing a black role.

“If someone starts to do something like that, it makes you wonder what’s in their mindsets to think that this is okay. The other side to that is, if you flip the coin and people of color in that society have done something like that, as an affront to white people. They wouldn’t be as forgiving about it,” Jackson said.

Rachel Dalloo is the Assistant News Editor. She can be reached at rachel.dalloo@ yorkmail.cuny.edu.

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are exclusively those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Pandora’s Box. Publication is not an endorsement of those views.

OP PBED Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

13

yorkpbnews.net

Stop Comparing R. Kelly to Chris Brown

Photo credit: Eva Rinaldi on flickr

By Autumn Matthews What do you think of when you hear these two musical artists? Talented? Good musicians?

Or even good songwriters or great performers?

Some people have labeled

them monsters because of the things they have done in their past…, but do both of them deserve to have the same label? R. Kelly is without a doubt a monster but Chris Brown I think doesn’t deserve to be put in the same category.

Honestly, I feel that Chris Brown isn’t not a monster because

of what he did to Rihanna back in 2009. We all make mistakes and we have to learn from those mistakes. The incident between them was almost ten years ago but some people still bring it up like it happened yesterday. If Rihanna forgave him for what he did why can’t people just move on forgive but never forget like Rihanna.

I believe that R. Kelly is a monster regardless how good his music is. After watching the six-part Surviving R. Kelly documentary I was so disgusted by the things I have heard that this man done to those young women including the Princess of R&B, the late Aaliyah.

It is a shame how a person as talented and gifted as he is can be capable of doing such evil things to women and get away with it.

I honestly feel that people should have done something about it years ago especially since everyone in the music industry back then knew exactly what he was doing to young women.

Now, what he has done cannot be forgiven because even after the tape with him and that 14 year old girl was released he still continued with having relationships with underage girls. At this point of time R. Kelly is canceled and hopefully everyone will come to their senses and put this man away for good.

He may be a good singer and all those other gifts that he has, but that man is a monster and needs serious help.

Over the Christmas break Chris Brown was falsely accused of sexually assaulting a young girl and was arrested in Paris nearly a

week after he became one of the youngest artists to own all of his master recordings. First thing I thought was they never want this man to be great. I even saw some people started bringing up the Rihanna thing in a joke way like “Rape I don’t know about that but if the girl said he beat her up he did it.”

Just like I said before, they always bring up this situation like it happened yesterday and it is not okay at all. He knows what he did 10 years ago and he has moved on and learned from it why can’t people just understand that. I’m happy that the accusations were false because I could not imagine Chris ruining his career like the same way R. Kelly did.

That is the difference between those two men. Chris Brown was falsely accused and made one mistake when he was young and learned from it and all the accusations made about R. Kelly were true.

As a community we need to all come together and cancel Robert Kelly and put him away forever.

Autumn Matthews is a staff reporter. She can be reached at autumn.matthews@yorkmail. cuny.edu

Step In the Name of Consent?

By Dwayne McBean By now we all know of the scathing allegations against the self-proclaimed “King of R&B” R. Kelly. Kelly has had a two-decade long career making hits that have appealed to several generations of fans. From Step In the Name of Love – the song that seems to light up every summer BBQ and get the elders and adults on their feet, usually followed by the term “you don’t know nothing ‘bout this.” I Believe I Can Fly – the song that preschoolers and kindergarteners have sung their little hearts out to as their stepping up commencement is in transaction to a crowd of teary eyed parents and Bump N’ Grind – the song that’s on the playlist at almost every young adult formal as chaperone’s scramble with flashlights breaking up the overly frisky. R. Kelly has managed to make himself a household name despite the very public court cases and allegations that have trailed his legacy (because no matter how you feel about him, he yes indeed has a legacy).

Anyway, if you haven’t been keeping up until recently, the beginning of the end – or so it would seem, for R. Kelly came in July 2017, when Buzzfeed broke the 4,800-word report that three sets of parents are claiming R. Kelly is holding their daughters hostage in an abusive cult. A few former associates of Kelly spoke with reporter Jim DeRogatis and confirmed the parents’ accusations one calling him, “a master at mind control.” Fast forward to

Photo credit: Mika-photography.

Jan. 2019 and now we have a three night docu-series called Surviving R. Kelly featuring interviews with some of the journalists who have reported on his abuse over the years, his victims, their par-

ents and former associates.

Okay, so I’m watching and I’m thinking this guy is a sicko, but I’m also scratching my head and going - okay why didn’t you stop him? Why didn’t you say

anything? Why did you go with him?

Honestly, this op-ed is not even about R. Kelly, I’m questioning the people involved with R. Kelly.

Let’s start with the women.

A lot of them said R. Kelly lured them in with promises of making them “the next Aaliyah” and in tender young naivety (ages 16-18) they believed it. In order for this to happen though, they had to be flown out to Chicago to his house.

I understand being naive and excited but that wasn’t a red flag? I mean somebody with connections in the music world couldn’t have flown out to you, or called up a producer in your town? Not to mention he didn’t even bother to meet with your parents and express his desire to make you the ‘next Aaliyah’. Instead he wanted to fly you out, (I may be a nerd for this, but I’m thinking what about school, that attendance is not going to be pretty) and have you stay at his house, and you were okay with that?

Joceyln Savage (Google her, she says she’s very happy with R. kelly), told TMZ her father knew R.Kelly and actually arranged things. Aaliyah, the late “Princess of R&B”, had a very flirtatious and obnoxious relationship with him, even going as far as to wearing matching clothing. It’s being speculated that Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A Number was an ode to their relationship. Aaliyah’s mother recently stated that “she was with her all of the time” so any allegations of relations between the two is false. Aaliyah’s uncle, Barry Hankerson, was her manager. So,

if you two were both with her?

How’d she wind up marrying R. Kelly at 15 by forging her age? Do y’all really expect us to believe that y’all of all people didn’t know that she was dating R. Kelly? I’m most disappointed in the uncle.

You let your niece, whom I would assume – you were supposed to protect, fall prey to a predator, for the fame? Money?

Sparkle, one of R. Kelly’s featured artists, introduced her 12-year-old niece to R. Kelly, even after the Aaliyah scandal, even after knowing he was abusive, even after knowing he was manipulative because she thought her niece “was a good rapper”. Girl…what were you thinking? She claims she came one day to find her in the studio by herself with him, and all she did was think how weird that was. She didn’t do what she should’ve done to protect her niece at all if you ask me.

I can go on all day about this really, but for sake of length, I’ll end it here. This is not to excuse R. Kelly’s actions, but I simply want to draw the parallel to the ugly fact that he was given full access to these young ladies. These young women were not abducted they were willing to meet with him, and some of their parents or relatives didn’t do enough to protect them, even in their silence and acceptance of the “hush money”, no one did enough to protect these black girls. Why?

Dwayne McBean is a contributing writer. He can be reached at dwayne.mcbean1@yorkmail. cuny.edu

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are exclusively those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Pandora’s Box. Publication is not an endorsement of those views.

OP PBED Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

yorkpbnews.net

14

Does the Media Give Enough Attention to Missing African American Women?

The Black and Missing Foundation is dedicated to specifically help locate missing black persons. Photo Courtesy: The Black and Missing Foundation website.

By Asar John If you pay attention to the news, you may have heard of Jayme Closs, Kelsey Berreth, or most recently, Savannah Spurlock.

But, have you heard of names such as Michelle Watson, Amber Evans or Envi McClin?

Be honest… most likely, you have not.

One thing the first three people have in common, are that they are all white women. The last three, also have something in common, and it is… you guessed it! They are all black females!

Black History Month should not be the only time we point out issues affecting the black community. February is not the only time we should be paying attention to our missing black sisters, that have not received the media attention they deserve. This is an issue that persists, all year long, and since the times of slavery.

One night, I stumbled upon an online notification about a black woman who was missing. It was interesting to see this as, personally, I have not seen it very often.

Turns out, the notice originated from the Black and Missing Foundation website.

The woman was a 30-year-old mother of three, Latasha Nevitt of Chicago. She had gone missing on the night of Oct. 10, 2011 while walking to a nearby convenience store. Her husband was the last person to see her before she disappeared.

Despite being featured on the Black & Missing website, Latasha

was found dead in a sewer pipe not to far from where she lived in March 2014. According to chicagomag.com, her death has been ruled a homicide as of April 2014.

Though her a killer was never found her neighbors suspected that her husband, Isaac Nevitt, had something to do with her death. Despite these allegations, there have been no updates on the case, nor have any suspects been arrested.

Now why am I writing an opinion piece about this? Because both local and national media organizations have not done enough to cover Latasha and the many other missing black females. Now let’s look at the statistics.

Picking back up in 2014, approximately 64,000 black females went missing in the land of the free, according to the National Crime Information Center. Other than this, it is as far as the data goes for finding official information on missing persons described with both race and gender combined.

Now personally, the most media coverage I have ever seen of the 64,000 (and possibly more) missing black females, is from the short lived days of the hashtag, #missingdcgirls, that exploded over Twitter.

According to brit.co, on March 24, 2017, the hashtag reached notoriety when the number of missing girls, (mostly black), reached 500 in our nation’s capital. As a part of the hashtag, many people pointed out that several of the missing girls did not receive any media attention on the national level, and if the roles were re-

versed, it would have been a completely different outcome.

In response to the Twitter outrage, the Metropolitan Police Department issued statements to make it seem as if the issue was not as bad as it is portrayed to be.

They said things such as, “The number of missing persons is not going up”, “In 2016, we had almost 1,000 fewer reports of missing persons than we had in 2012,” and, “Often times, these girls are repeat runaways,” which came from a spokesperson for DC’s mayor Muriel Bowser.

But all of these statements still do not address the real issue: A significant amount of young girls of color are still missing from the city.

An analysis done by Zach Sommers of Northwestern University explored whether inadequate media coverage of black females goes beyond being a popular opinion.

A major focus of this analysis is a theory called “Missing White Woman Syndrome.”

The theory, or term, was coined by the late Gwen Ifill in 2004. The term focuses upon extensive media coverage, mainly on television, of cases involving missing, young, white, upper-middle-class women or girls. It examines the American media’s undivided attention to upper-middle-class white women who vanish compared to their attention to cases of missing males, women of color and women lower income areas.

Using a variety of terms, studies, theories and most importantly, numerical data compiled in 2013, Sommers provided the reality of Missing White Woman Syndrome.

In terms of numerical data, the analysis provides several figures to support the “syndrome.” The analysis compares the number of missing individuals who are featured in online news stories to the FBI’s records of the overall missing person population.

One graph in the analysis contains the statistics of all individuals by race in the overall media coverage population, compared to base rates of FBI data.

Blacks account for 35 percent of the missing persons population but represent 22 percent of cases are covered. Compared to whites who in fact are 60.32 percent of the missing persons population, but are covered at a rate of 60.54 percent.

The graph shows that the media coverage of missing persons contain a disproportionately low number of black individuals when compared to the FBI population. Therefore, missing whites are overrepresented in media, compared to the overall missing population.

Another table contains race of individuals across a specific media source.

CNN, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, Atlanta Journal Constitution and Chicago Tribune are

the different media sources used in the analysis. CNN, The Minneapolis Star Tribune and AJC subset (substitute news articles from alternative news sources) are the three sources that contain the highest percentage of missing persons who are white.

The three cities were chosen to view the statistics all have above average crime rates for large cities. This provides a comprehensive amount of abduction cases to be filed through by media outlets.

Also, to add a sense of racial diversity among the cities, i.e., Minneapolis has a significant portion of white residents, (63 percent), Atlanta with a significant portion of black residents,(54 percent) than Chicago, with Chicago having over a quarter of black residents at almost 33 percent of the city.

Let’s put the spotlight on Atlanta, which according to table, the AJC subset covers and practically counts 16.88 percent of missing individuals who are missing in Atlanta, are black. Now keep in mind, this is just the percentage of individuals covered, not how many are actually missing.

However, missing persons information is not available by individual cities, according to this section of the analysis. Now turn this back to Atlanta’s black population, which is 54 percent of the city. Based on this, shouldn’t the coverage of missing black individuals in Atlanta be more prominent and reflective of the city’s black population? 71.43 percent of individuals covered by the AJC subset were white, with Atlanta’s white population recorded at 38.4 percent, in 2013, according to the United States Census Bureau State & County Quick Facts.

According to a third table, “Race by Gender Composition of Individuals in Media Data”, focuses on the core aspect of this story. The chart incorporates both race and gender of missing persons because the FBI data are not divided into race and gender combinations. This chart compensates for the lack of proportion tests for race by gender groups, such as, black women. White women composed the largest intersectional group in the media coverage data at 32.97 percent.

However, data from this chart was formed hypothetically, though still with some sense of accuracy when comparing FBI data.

The Active Missing Persons File states that 60 percent of persons are white, and 40 percent female.

When drawn over the white category of the file, the percentage of missing white women would be 29 percent. However, this is only hypothetical, but still suggests there is overrepresentation of white women but only incidentally.

Then comes the theories that have been used to prove Missing White Woman Syndrome.

Intersectionality is the lead-

ing theory in explaining Missing White Woman Syndrome. It is defined as the idea that individuals of several historically marginalized groups are placed in a position of inferiority. A great example of this would be of how black women are part of a race group that is marginalized, along with a marginalized gender group.

Being both black, and a woman, is the perfect example of intersectionality.

Black women are around the peripheral of everything, not the center of everything”, says Adjunct Assistant Professor Dr. Sharada Devi, “It’s as if it was another race, or ethnic group.”

The “damsel in distress” theory is defined as “a helpless girl or woman must be saved by a man,”

by Researcher Sarah Stillman in her essay, “The Missing White Girl Syndrome: Disappeared Women and Media Activism”.

According to Stillman, The idea of a “damsel in distress” is so involved in Western culture that people are OK with women and girls being victims. However, the question is raised as to what characteristics of these females fit the picture of a “damsel in distress.”

“My focus would be completely different than trying to separate terminology that is used by professionals who do research or working on their PhD,” says Adjunct Lecturer at York, Andrew Jackson. “That is their professional jargon. I don’t get caught up in the jargon, I get caught up in the issue, which is we have women who are missing and the media is not covering it.”

A study done by Scripps Howard News Service analyzed child abductions from 2000 to 2004.

The study found that the 162 AP stories and 43 CNN reports dramatically overrepresented white children. Researchers used data from the Department of Justice and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to estimate that between 53 percent and 54 percent of missing children from that time frame were white. In contrast, 67 percent of the AP reports and 76 percent of CNN stories focused on white children. As a result, there were disproportionately fewer stories highlighting black and Hispanic children.

Aside from all the data, facts and figures, terms and theories, it seems as if we are still grappling with the one essential issue.

“Society has not come to terms with dealing with a major issue, and it’s that something is happening to these women , and we need to be looking at this more seriously,” said Andrew Jackson. “It is an issue that’s affecting all of us.”

Asar John is a staff reporter. He can be reached at asar.john@ yorkmail.cuny.edu

The views and opinions expressed in these articles are exclusively those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Pandora’s Box. Publication is not an endorsement of those views.

PANDORA’S BOX SPORTS

yorkpbnews.net

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

15

Male Cheerleaders Make NFL History at Super Bowl LIII

By Fiifi Frimpong Records were broken during Super Bowl 53 with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick capturing their sixth Super Bowl win, defeating the Los Angeles Rams 13-3, but a milestone happened that was more interesting than their records and the game played.

For the first time in National Football League history, male cheerleaders performed on the biggest stage at the Super Bowl.

Napoleon Jinnies and Quinton Peron were the first-ever male dancers on an NFL team and performed in the big game in Atlanta after the Rams defeated the Saints in the NFC Championship game.

Jesse Hernandez also made history this past season for being one of the first male cheerleaders in the NFL dancing for the New Orleans Saints, but didn’t make it to the Super Bowl after their loss against the Rams.

The two Ram cheerleaders joined the squad in March after realizing that the role isn’t too far fetched.

On an appearance with Good Morning America last summer, Peron talked about an epiphany he had while attending a Los Angeles Lakers game.

“I was at a Laker game and I was watching the Laker Girls,” Peron said during the interview.

“And I was asking myself why can’t I be down there? I’ve choreographed for girls who dance on pro teams, I’ve danced with girls on various pro teams. I just thought, why not me?”

That same attitude seems to be driving more men to join cheerleading teams on the professional and amauteur level. There are even three male cheerleaders right here at York.

Los Angeles Rams cheerleaders Quinton Peron (left) and Napoleon Jinnies (right).

Hezekiah Corbin and Damon Trimmingham are entering their second season on the team. Isaiah Segarra is the newest addition to the Cardinal’s cheerleading squad. Hezekiah, captain of the team, was previously featured in “Holla’! Cheer & Dance Magazine” last semester highlighting his passion for cheerleading.

The outdated ideology that cheerleading is just a sport for women with short skirts to dance around is irrational. The narrative has changed and is continuing to change.

Camille Morgan, head cheerleading coach at York College,

echoed those remarks when asked for thoughts on more men joining cheerleading teams.

“I think the transition started when people realized that cheerleading isn’t something girls just do, but is an actual competitive sport,” Morgan said. “Now it’s something you could be nationally ranked for doing.

Denee Barracato, director of athletics and recreation at York, mentioned that men being a part of cheerleading was something people aren’t aware of. Although she didn’t know about the men that performed in the Super Bowl, males participating in cheerlead-

Photo credit: ABC News

ing isn’t a phenomenon that she sees as unrealistic.

“I actually had a cousin that was on a cheerleading team at Northwestern University,” the athletic director said. “Men participating in cheerleading isn’t too foreign for me. I think some people still aren’t aware. It’s nice to see the numbers growing around schools and in the pros.”

Good luck to the Cardinal track team competing at the CUNY Athletic Conference Indoor Championships on February 24, at 3:00p.m. in the Armory!

PBPB Fiifi Frimpong is the Sports Editor. He can be reached at fiifi. frimpong@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Pandora’s Box EDITORIAL BOARD: Editor-in-Chief: Danielle Cruz danielle.cruz@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Managing Editor: Pedro Bermejo pedro.bermejo@yorkmail.cuny.edu

STAFF REPORTERS:

Asar John Sherry Shivprasad Autumn Matthews

asar.john@yorkmail.cuny.edu sherry.shivprasad@yorkmail.cuny.edu autumn.matthews@yorkmail.cuny.edu

News Editor: Angel Adegbesan angel.adegbesan@yorkmail.cuny.edu Assistant News Editor: Rachel Dalloo rachel.dalloo@yorkmail.cuny.edu

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:

Theodora Danso Dwayne McBean

theodora.danso@yorkmail.cuny.edu dwayne.mcbean1@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Arts/Ent. Editor: Richard Heaton richard.heaton@yorkmail.cuny.edu Sports Editor: Fiifi Frimpong fiifi.frimpong@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Photo Editor: Adisa Sobers adisa.sobers@yorkmail.cuny.edu Faculty Advisor: Bill Hughes w.hughes@york.cuny.edu

This policy states Pandora’s Box position on discrimantion. This policy applies to all Pandora’s Box employees, volunteers, members, clients, and contractors. Pandora’s Box follows an equal opportunity employment policy and employs personnel without regard to race, creed, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression, age, physical or mental ability, veteran status, military obligations, and marital status. This policy also applies to internal promotions, training, opportunities for advancement, terminations, outside vendors, members and customers, service clients, use of contractors and consultants, and dealings with the general public.

16

PANDORA’S BOX SPORTS

yorkpbnews.net

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2019

York Senior Night Marks the End of the Basketball Season

More photos from senior night can be found on page 8.

By Fiifi Frimpong Seniors on the men’s and women’s basketball teams concluded their Cardinal careers with senior night on Monday, Feb.11 in the York College Gymnasium.

The senior ball players on both teams played their last game against Medgar Evers College.

The women’s team battled for a 71-58 victory against the Cougars that capped their season at 5-20.

The men’s season came to an end after a 95-83 defeat that put them

at 9-16.

Before the games, seniors received a loud, standing ovation from teammates and fans in attendance.

Sheahna Roscher, Jean-Lue Etienne, Darin Dove, Malique John, Taishaun Forehand-Jenkins, Brandon Herriot, and Jonathan Jones were honored. They were greeted at half court by their family, coaches and athletic director hugging and praising them for their hard work as student athletes.

Denee Barracato, director of athletics and recreation, was

Photo credit: Adisa Sobers

present for the final games. She gave her thoughts about the night and feelings on seeing the athletes move on.

“Senior night was a huge success,” Barracato said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get both wins but it was a good night. It was bittersweet. I was happy to see them perform in front of their home fans for the last time. We enjoyed having them and it’s really sad to see them go.”

As for the seniors that wrapped up their final season, the conclusion is bittersweet also.

A chapter closes with the end of

The men’s season came to an end after a 95-83 defeat.

their college career, but it’s now time to look ahead to graduation and life after school.

The lone senior on the women’s team, Sheahna Roscher, had the role of leading her team each game and was responsible for setting the standard for the younger teammates. Barracato spoke about having her at the school for four years and hoping to continue the trend of having four-year athletes at York.

“Having Sheahna here is an anomaly we’re looking to change,” Barracato said. “She joined as a freshman and spent

York Players Receive CUNYAC Honors

Devine Chisholm and Taishaun Forehand-Jenkins receiving their awards from the CUNYAC.

By Fiifi Frimpong Three York athletes received awards after the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC) announced its yearend honors for the 2018-2019 basketball season.

Freshman guard Devine Chisholm received rookie of the year honors after averaging 9.2 points per game and 2.8 assists per game for the Cardinals.

Senior guard Taishaun Fore-

hand-Jenkins was awarded second-team all conference after averaging 15.1 points per game while shooting 43% from the field.

Sophomore forward Akil Vaughn earned a spot on the sportsmanship team after averaging five points and seven rebounds per game.

Chisholm was a three-time CUNYAC rookie of the week recipient that had a season-high 21 points against College of Staten Island on Jan. 3. He played in all 25 games for the Cardinals averaging 27 minutes per game. When

Photo credit: Jon Hochberg

asked about being recognized in his first year of college ball, he acknowledged his teammates in helping with the process.

“It’s an honor for my hard work to be recognized throughout the season,” Chisholm said. “I couldn’t have done this without my teammates.”

Forehand-Jenkins saw his minutes and points per game rise this past season. The former Borough of Manhattan Community College guard placed in the top 10 in the conference in points, field goal percentage, assists and assist

to turnover ratio.

Like his teammate, Forehand-Jenkins appreciated the recognition from the voters. He too couldn’t forget his teammates when asked about his feelings on the award.

“I appreciate getting noticed after all the hard work during the season,” Forehand-Jenkins said.

“It feels good, but it’s all about my guys that I play with.”

Forehand-Jenkins played his last game at senior night on Feb. 11. Looking ahead, he commented on what he would like to do after playing for the Cardinals.

“I would like to play overseas,” he said. “I’m interested in some teams in Germany and Italy. I would also want to coach one day.”

Freshman standout on the women’s team, Mac-Dege Dessources, was snubbed from receiving accolades despite an exceptional season. The center has been a force on the glass, even grabbing 34 rebounds against Ramapo on Dec. 15.

She led the conference in blocks, rebounds per game, overall rebounds and double doubles.

She was a five-time CUNYAC rookie of the week recipient while also leading the nation in rebounds and rebounds per game.

Denee Barracato, athletic director, mentioned that the snub was very disappointing given her national accolades.

Fiifi Frimpong is the Sports Editor. He can be reached at fiifi. frimpong@yorkmail.cuny.edu

Photo credit: Adisa Sobers

all her years here at York. I remember her first year to now. She has developed as a person. She was so infectious and you could always see that positive energy rub off on her teammates.”

The athletic director also congratulated the seniors on the men’s team for always staying together through adversity during the season. She went on say they were a great group of individuals that will be missed at the school.

Fiifi Frimpong is the Sports Editor. He can be reached at fiifi. frimpong@yorkmail.cuny.edu

SCHEDULE Men’s Volleyball Feb. 22: Home vs. Augustana College (IL) 7:00 p.m.

Feb. 23: Home vs. Elizabethtown College (NJ) 1:00 p.m.

Feb. 23: Home vs. Ramapo College (NJ) 3:00 p.m.

Feb. 26: Home vs. Wilkes University (PA) 7:00 p.m.

Feb. 27: Away @ College of Saint Elizabeth (NJ) 7:00 p.m.

Softball Mar. 2: Home vs Cairn University (NY) 12:00 PM/2:00 p.m.

Mar. 3: Away @ Sarah Lawrence College (NY) 12:00 p.m./2:00 p.m.

Mar. 10: Away @ Yeshiva University (NY) 4:00 p.m./6:00 p.m.

Mar. 16: Home vs. The College at Old Westbury (NY) 1:00 p.m./3:00 p.m.

Men’s Tennis Mar. 10: Home vs. Sarah Lawrence College (NY) 12:00 p.m.

Mar. 16: Away St. Joseph’s College (NY) Time TBA Track Feb. 24: vs CUNYAC Indoor Championship @ Armory 3:00 p.m.